Sin

I wanted to take a moment to post a direct quote from an individual I find to be extraordinary, C.W. Leadbeater. I will not comment personally as I am but a student of these concepts and my words or interpretation may only contribute to further misunderstanding. However I will continue to post direct passages such as this when I come across something that personally impacts me and would like to properly share.

“… It is exceedingly doubtful whether this phenomenon ever occurs. In almost every conceivable case man breaks the law through ignorance or heedlessness, and not of deliberate intention. When once a man really knows and sees the divine intention he inevitably come into harmony with it, for two reasons: at an earlier stage because he sees the utter futility of doing otherwise, and later because, seeing the glory and beauty of the design, he cannot but throw himself into its execution with all the powers of his heart and soul. One of the most serious of the many misconceptions which we have inherited from the dark ages is that what is called “sin” is a perversity to be met with punishment and savage persecution, instead of what it really is, the result of a condition of ignorance that can only be dealt with by enlightenment and education. It may be objected that in daily life we constantly see people doing what they must know to be wrong, but this is a misstatement of the case. They are doing what they have bee told is wrong, which is quite a different matter. If a man really knows that an action is wrong, and that it will inevitably be followed by evil consequences, he is careful to avoid it. A man really knows that fire will burn him; therefore he does not put his hand into it. It will be found that everyone who does wrong will justify the wrong action himself at thew time of its commission, whatever he may think about it after-wards in cold blood. So I say that sin as ordinarily understood is a figment of the theological imagination; what really exists is an unfortunate condition of ignorance which often leads to infraction of the divine law. This ignorance it is our duty to endeavor to dispel by the light of theosophy.”

Taken from “The Inner Life” by Charles W Leadbeater Copyright 1978 The Theosophical Publishing House